Becoming Chris
by AnimeFreaks13
Summary: A witch casts a spell on Chris, making him return to the age of a child. As he quickly ages before their eyes, the sisters get a look into Chris's life. But can the Charmed Ones reverse the magic before Chris dies of old age?
1. A Witch's Scorn

A/N: Keep in mind this chapter is short but it is just a prolog to set up for the rest of the story.

Chapter One - A Witch's Scorn

It was a beautiful day in California. The sun was shining, just like it did... almost every single day. The Halliwell mansion stood proud amongst the other, more modern, homes on the block like it did on every other day of the week. Downstairs in the kitchen, a pot was beginning to boil and spaghetti sat on the counter next to it. On the island in the center, a very different sort of pot was also beginning to boil... and steam. However, no one took notice of these pots.

Upstairs in the attic, Piper stood in front of her baby, Wyatt. He sat in his playpen, shield up and staring ahead at the threat. Phoebe and Paige stood on either side of Piper, hands up and ready to fight. Chris stood in the doorway to the attic, staring back toward Piper. Between them, a woman stood, shifting her gaze between her foes. She let out a low hiss and threw her hands out in both directions. Lightening, like Leo's, struck out at the sisters and Chris.

Using their years of training, they were all able to avoid the attack, but this was what the witch had wanted. She sneered despite her accomplishment and slid over to the playpen. Piper yelled and threw out her hands to blow the woman up. The other witch blocked the explosion, but took a step back from Wyatt, not that she could have grabbed him anyway.

"Hey, lady! Back off of my kid!" Piper growled.

"No. You back off," the woman responded in a sourly sweet voice. She tossed her hand out before her and energy flew straight for Piper.

"No!" Chris yelled, jumping up and knocking Piper to the ground just in time. He was careful to protect her stomach on the way down, though. The dresser in the corner shattered into pieces, but that wasn't unusual.

"Pesky kid," the middle-aged witch grumbled.

"Hey lady!" Phoebe called out to get the witch's attention. It worked. As the woman turned around, Paige caught her in the head with a club.

"Vile charmed ones!" the witch hissed, holding her face and slinking away into the corner of the room.

"Phoebe! You got a spell yet?" Chris asked.

"Spell?" the evil witch asked before Phoebe could reply. "I've got a spell for you," she laughed.

"Don't let her say anything!" Piper warned, shakily getting to her feet.

"All grown up, the past is past. Now relive life super fast." Paige tried throwing the club at the witch's head again, but with a little electricity, the woman destroyed it. "Age and age beyond your years, until all around you are in tears," the witch giggled in a very creepy, high-pitched fashion.

"What?" Phoebe asked as Piper raised her hands up and blasted the woman. This time, it hit. The woman screamed, but in the end it was laughter. The girls watched her in confusion. How was that funny?

"Oh ho ho. That is a riot," she chuckled. "Now you have TWO children to protect!"

And with those final words, she teleported herself out of the mansion and out of harm's way. Paige sighed. There went the bad guy... there went the club...

"Chris, are you alright?" Phoebe asked, rubbing her temples in the aftermath.

"Yesth, ant Phoebe," a cute little voice spoke up. Piper whirled around to where Chris had been standing beside her. Instead of looking up where he should be, she looked down to where the voice had come from. All eyes were glued to the cute toddler standing in Chris's spot wearing clothes that looked oddly like Chris's only smaller.

"Chris?" Piper asked.

"Yesth, mummie?" the little boy asked. Then he giggled and pointed at Piper. "Wow mommie got fat!"

Piper put a hand on her pregnant stomach, shocked. She looked up at her sisters. They all exchanged worried glances before looking back at the boy. He burped three times in a row and laughed. Then he wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve.

"Why isth ever-body starrin at me?" he asked with an embarrassed little smile.

"Oh dear," Phoebe sighed.


	2. Daddy Dearest

Chapter Two - Daddy Dearest

"Okay. I put Chris in the playpen with Wyatt in the kitchen. He struggled, but I got him in there," Phoebe explained, joining her sisters in the living room.

"What are we gonna do?" Piper asked, holding her hand loosely over her mouth.

"I don't know. We have to reverse the magic. Do you think we can break it with our own spell or...?" Paige asked.

"No. I think that's too risky. If we don't word it just right, we could get him stuck at the wrong age or... or even kill him, if we're really unlucky," Phoebe warned.

"Well maybe we should call Leo," Paige offered. "He could help us out."

"No. Not yet. Not until we need to. He's already in trouble with the other elders." Piper shook her head, dropping her hand to her stomach.

"Well then what are we gonna do?" Paige asked.

"Well.. Chris seems to recognize us all... except Wyatt, but I think he might make the connection soon. It seems like he was just... rewound in time to when he was a happy little toddler," Phoebe said, shrugging.

"Chris was a happy child?" Paige asked skeptically. Piper kicked her from her spot on the couch. Paige winced. "Not saying you're a bad parent!" she defended. "He just doesn't seem like a 'happy childhood' kinda guy!"

"Cause that makes me feel so much better," Piper replied sarcastically.

"Guys!" Phoebe called them to attention. "I mean 'girls'. If Chris thinks he's, what, 3 or 4 years old?.... he's not going to know how to help us or keep us on track. We have to concentrate here. We haven't got a lot of time," she warned.

"How do _you_ know how much time we have left?" Piper asked. Phoebe sighed and sat on the arm of the nearest chair.

"Didn't you hear the witch's spell? Chris is going to re-age really fast. Then she said he'll age 'until all around you are in tears'," Phoebe quoted. "Don't you get it? He's going to just keep getting older until he finally dies!"

Piper gasped and Paige's eyes widened. Apparently only Phoebe put that together. Piper looked at her sisters, who were starring at each other. Then she looked straight ahead and, in a nearly panicked voice, yelled.

"Leo!"

Phoebe jumped to her feet in shock, and Paige nearly jumped two feet off the floor. In less than a second, everyone's favorite elder appeared, answering his wife's hysterical call. He knelt by her instantly, one hand on her shoulder and one on her stomach.

"What is it? Did something happen?" he asked, as always.

"In the kitchen," Piper ordered, standing up as quickly as she could.

"What's in the kitchen?" Leo asked, confused. Paige sighed.

"A witch attacked Wyatt and cast a spell on Chris," she explained while her sister marched out of sight. "It's a little hard to explain in the time limit Piper gave us so why don't you just go see for yourself?"

"And remember one thing!" Phoebe called as Leo began to walk. She quickly stood to follow, joined by Paige. "If we don't reverse it soon, he could die."

Leo, spurred on by worry, nearly slid as he stepped into the diningroom. He could see the playpen from here. He could see Piper bending over it and talking sweetly to the child within it... but it wasn't the child he was expecting. Piper held her hands out and Chris smiled and reached for her. Then she lifted him up into her arms and kissed his cheek.

"What-?" Leo tried to ask but found himself at a loss of words.

"Yeah...," Phoebe agreed. Piper walked over to them, Chris on her hip. Chris stared at Leo for a moment, as if trying to figure out who it was. Then a smile lit his face and he reached forward.

"Daddy!" he cried in joy. Piper was a little surprised by the emotion on Chris's face, but held Chris out for Leo to take anyway.

"I thought he didn't like Leo," Paige muttered to Phoebe in the background. Piper nodded, close enough to catch the comment.

"Me too," she agreed. "Maybe he still liked him at this point?"

"Obviously," Paige pointed out.

"Oh yes," Phoebe said, a big smile on her face. "He's feelin a _lot_ of love right now."

"You can... sense Chris's feelings?" Piper asked.

"Oh yes. Quite strongly," Phoebe replied, the happy smile never leaving her face.

"How.. How odd," Piper murmured, turning to watch her husband and son.

"Hey there..uh.. Big guy," Leo greeted his son, unsure what to do as he held him.

"Hey Daddy.... Where is Wyatt?" Chris asked, tilting his head to the side, hands on his father's shoulder.

"Hm? What do you mean? Wasn't he in the playpen?" Leo asked.

"No," Chris shook his head. "That not Wyatt. Silly daddy. You know what Wyatt look like."

"Oh yes," Leo smiled, playing along. "I do believe Wyatt is napping upstairs. Did you want to go to see him?" He didn't know what he'd do if Chris said yes, but the words just slipped out.

Chris suddenly looked away, almost as if ashamed of asking, or perhaps of a thought. Leo bent his head to instigate eye contact. Chris shook his head and hid in Leo's shoulder.

"No. I want to stay with Daddy," he mumbled. Did he sound upset? Was he going to cry? The Chris they knew did his best not to cry, but this was a Chris before all the hardships.

"Alright, alright," Leo cooed lightly. "I'm not going anywhere."

Leo moved to sit down at the table so he could move Chris into a more comfortable position on his lap. Piper leaned in toward her sisters. Paige touched her lips and then pointed indiscreetly toward Chris.

"Is it just me or did he seem anxious when Leo mentioned going to see Wyatt?" she asked.

"Yeah, just a little bit... maybe," Phoebe agreed with a nod. "I definitely felt something there. He was nooot a happy camper."

"You think... Wyatt did something to Chris at this stage in his life?" Piper asked, a little concerned about her other child.

"Well... Chris _did_ say whatever turned Wyatt happened before he was born," Paige reminded them.

"But Wyatt's only like.. 5. How much harm could he do?" Piper asked, trying to keep her voice low.

"Piper... Your son is the master of Excalibur, a doubly charmed child, considered the most powerful creature in existence -," Phoebe began but Piper cut her off by raising her hand.

"Okay okay... Point taken," she agreed. "Still... You think Wyatt would already be tormenting Chris at such a young age?"

"I don't know, sweetie... anything's possible," Paige sighed out, placing a hand on her eldest sister's shoulder.

– – – – – –

"Okay... Leo's gone to ask the elders if they know anything," Phoebe explained, walking into the conservatory. "He suggested we just sit back and - whoa!" she gasped, eyes wide.

"What?" Piper asked, head spinning around to see her sister. The tv was on in the corner for Wyatt and Chris to watch, but it was now being ignored. Phoebe was starring at Chris, who was sitting on the couch in a seat Leo had left him in not five minutes ago. Piper followed her gaze and gasped.

Chris had been hit with the spell almost two hours ago. For two hours, he'd sat with Leo and had mumbled, childish conversations while Paige and Phoebe searched the book of shadows for their mysterious evil witch. Piper had been too worried to leave them alone. Now, as he sat on the couch watching children's educational cartoons, Chris resembled a eight year old. Somehow, in two hours, Chris had aged four or five years. Actually, he probably did it in the last twenty minutes, because Piper swore Chris had just been a baby only moments ago.

"Chris?.. Honey, are you alright?" Phoebe asked. Chris rolled his head to look at her. Then he nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he mumbled. Then he looked back at the tv screen.

"You don't sound find. Come on. Talk to me. What's wrong?" Piper asked.

Chris stared at her for a moment. He seemed a little confused by who he was staring at. Then he shook his head and eyed Phoebe. He quickly looked back at the tv as though he hadn't moved before.

"Phoebs, can you go get us something to eat from the kitchen?" Piper asked. Phoebe started to argue about wanting to stay here, but then she paused. She must have sensed something from Chris, because she gave him a confusing pout and quickly removed herself from the room.

"Okay Chris.. It's just us and a baby now. What's wrong?" Piper asked her second son. Chris was silent for a long while, biting his lip.

"You... You can't get mad, okay?" Chris asked, glancing at his mother several times out of the corner of his eye.

"Baby, whatever it is, I swear I wont even raise my voice," Piper promise, putting her hand over her heart while she did. Chris nodded a little bit.

"Wyatt lied to you yesterday, mom," Chris mumbled.

"About what?" Piper asked, unable to recall things from Chris's memory.

"About the Excalibur accident," Chris said. "You know... when you came upstairs and found us by the stone and I was holding the sword... and Wyatt told you I took it from him and that I'd claimed the sword as mine. Remember? He said I was trying to take his place as king... and then you grounded us both for even touching the sword but I also got dish washing duty?"

Chris watched Piper's face for a hint of recognition, which she skillfully added to her expression at just the right time. She nodded, waiting for him to tell her 'what really happened'.

"What about it?" Piper asked when he didn't speak.

"He lied, mom," Chris repeated. He bit his lip for a moment before continuing. "Wyatt wasn't the one who took the sword out of the stone. I was."


	3. The Truth About Excalibur

A/N: Please keep in mind, the events mentioned in this chapter are purely the thoughts of the author and should not be used as truth from the show. The author used inferences from the show to assume the events to use during the course of Chris's lifetime, as only the event in chapter 5 is ever directly mentioned in the show's 6th Season. Thank you, and please enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Chapter Three – The Truth About Excalibur

"W... What?" Piper asked, shaking her head a bit as she continued. "No. Wyatt's the next holder of Excalibur. There's no way you could have pulled it out."

"See?" Chris whined. "This is why I didn't try to tell you before... when you were angry. But I swear I'm telling the truth!"

Piper took a moment to collect herself. Was it even possible that Chris could do such a thing? Wasn't Wyatt the next King Arthur? Well… She'd rather believe Chris than jump to the conclusion that he was lying to her. So she took a deep breath and set her gaze on her youngest son.

"Okay, Chris... Let's hear your side of the story," she offered, motioning toward Chris. Chris shifted positions on the couch to face her more. He seemed to gain a bit of confidence just from her letting him explain.

"We were playing... in the attic. I know you don't like us too, but we didn't want to ruin your party. Then Wyatt started bragging about how he was the most powerful being in the world. I asked him how he knew he was the most powerful being in the world, besides being told he was. Well Wyatt said it was because he was the only one who could pull the sword from the stone," here Chris paused. He seemed to consider something, and Piper was certain he was editing his story.

"And... Well I said I'd never seen him do it, so I bet even I could pull the stone out... but Wyatt was saying there was no way I could do it... and... a few other things... well, I got angry and I wanted to prove I could do it so I walked up to the sword and just.... pulled it out. It wasn't hard at all, Mom... but when Wyatt saw me do it, he got really angry and started yelling and stuff... and then you heard him. He threatened to hit me with an energy ball and ... well that's when you walked in," Chris finished, voice soft. His eyes tried to find Piper's thoughts, but he wasn't a psychic like his aunt.

Piper pressed her lips together. Now she wondered if Wyatt was Excalibur's owner or Chris. Was it possible that Wyatt had only been able to wield Excalibur because it was already out of the stone? No... Didn't the legend say only the most powerful being could wield it properly and only the lady of the lake could use it otherwise?

"You don't believe me... do you?" Chris asked, looking like a kicked puppy. Piper shook her head quickly and put her arms up.

"That's not it," she offered. "It's just... well it's a lot to consider. This would change everything."

Chris was torn between a smile and a frown. It left him looking rather adorable, whether he meant to do that or not. He pat his leg a few times, that calculating look in his eyes again. The sound of bells echoed from the living room and Chris brightened instantly.

"Can I...?" he asked. Piper smiled.

"Yeah. But for now, just keep the Excalibur story between us, alright?" she asked. Chris nodded quickly and jumped up off the couch. He was gone and in the living room before Piper could blink.

"Daddy!" she heard him say. Leo laughed, and then Chris laughed too. Leo must have picked him up or something.

"Phoebe," Piper called out to the kitchen. Phoebe slunk back in, taking Chris's spot on the couch. She was frowning. "Could you tell what he was hiding?"

"Piper... I don't think you want to know what he was feeling," Phoebe answered honestly.

"I don't care. Tell me," Piper ordered forcefully. Phoebe sighed before speaking.

"He was worried about your reaction, of course... but I mean... There was this underlying self-hatred. When he was telling you about Wyatt's bragging... I mean, it was overwhelming. I think Wyatt was doing a little more than bragging. He must have been tearing into Chris, and badly too."

Piper frowned. Phoebe recoiled almost as if expecting to be hit. Piper looked to Wyatt in the playpen. He was looking up at her curiously, shaking a stuffed rabbit in his hand. She turned her head to the tv, where three loveable looking characters were trying to teach children watching what different colors were. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I told you, you didn't want to know," Phoebe reminded. Piper shook her head.

"No. I'm glad you told me...," she said honestly. Then she looked back at Wyatt, a sad look in her eyes. "It's going to be different this time."

"Piper!" Leo's friendly voice called from the livingroom. Piper nodded and stood. She pat Wyatt on the head before going to see what had happened. Phoebe followed closely, waving and smiling at Wyatt as she went.

"Hey," Piper greeted, a smile on her face. "What's going on?"

"Dad says he's gonna take me up to see the elders!" Chris exclaimed wildly.

"What?" Piper asked, shocked and against it. Leo laughed.

"No I didn't," he said, poking Chris in the nose. Chris frowned but was obviously still happy. "Just wanted to let you know the elders think we could find the witch's lair somewhere in England."

"Yep!" Paige exclaimed, walking down the stairs. In her hands was the book of shadows. "The book says her name is _Fiona _and she is most commonly spotted around a small city in Europe, just south of England. The name is right here... but I can't pronounce it."

Leo nodded, looking impressed. Piper rubbed her hands together.

"Alright. Let's get to it," she said. Leo gave her a look that said she was forgetting something. "What?"

"Well someone's gotta stay and watch Chris and... the baby you're babysitting," Leo explained, glancing at Chris in his arms to see if the swift lie had been caught. Chris was watching his mother and not paying attention to any possible lies.

"I'll stay," Phoebe piped up. She was smiling happily again, just like Chris. Piper knew now. Phoebe only wanted to stay behind because she got a glimpse of what made the other tick. By the time Chris got to the age they met him as, she'd be blocked again. She was too curious for her own good.

"Alright. Then lets go to Europe," Piper ordered gently. Leo set Chris down and he shuffled over to Phoebe.

"Great!" Paige chirruped happily. "I always wanted to go to Europe."

"Not a field trip," Leo reminded.

"Good luck!" Chris called out just as Leo and Paige orbed the three of them out of the manner.

"So," Phoebe began, kneeling in front of Chris. "How's life?"


	4. The Best Birthday Gift

Chapter Four – The Best Birthday Gift

Phoebe was bright and happy as she brought out a plate of cookies to Chris. She didn't know what kinds Chris liked, but when she'd mentioned the types 'sugar' and 'peanut butter' she hadn't gotten very good vibes. Chocolate chip, which really should have been her first guess, got a good response though Chris did little to show his interest. The boy had been pouting since his parents had left.

"Look what I got!" Phoebe exclaimed as she set down the cookie plate on the table in front of Chris. The brunette boy stared at them for a moment but then turned away.

"I don't want any," he said.

"Now now, Christopher Perry Halliwell, don't put all my hard work to waste. I could hear you drooling all the way in the kitchen," Phoebe countered and nudged the plate closer.

Chris glanced over at the cookies. Then, trying to look like he really didn't want them, Chris reached over and grabbed one… then another. Then he nibbled on them while he stared at the stupid kid's show Wyatt was watching.

"Aw honey, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked. Chris was feeling sort of put off, but not about the cookies.

"They all left," Chris replied easily, taking a huge bite out of his cookie.

"Yeah, but they'll be back in no time! They just had to go vanquish a demon real quick," Phoebe explained, putting a big smile on. Chris gave her a look like 'don't treat me like I'm stupid'.

"Yeah, Aunt Paige will be back soon, and maybe even Mom, but do you honestly think Daddy's coming back? He'll orb back up to the elders without coming back to say goodbye. Then Mom will tell me he's really busy and that he loves me and that he thinks of my all the time," Chris said dryly. Phoebe frowned for the first time in the last hour.

"Aw, Chris. He'll come back before he leaves. I promise…. Does that really happen all the time?" she asked, slightly worried. Chris nodded and ate the rest of his cookie whole.

"Dad always leaves before I can say goodbye," Chris murmured around his cookie and shifted his position on the couch. The sun shone in on him and made him look a bit surreal. For a moment Phoebe thought she was looking at a photograph instead of at an actual person.

Then there was a jingle of bells in the other room and Piper could be heard cursing incoherently. Or perhaps she was just complaining. It was debatable from this distance. Chris perked up but he did not get excited like he had the first time that happened today.

"You guys okay?" Phoebe asked, walking toward the door. Piper appeared in the doorway, covered in some kind of pink cotton candy spider web. She glared lightly at Phoebe.

"Fine. Just a bit dirty," Paige answered for her sister as she trudged in a well. She had some pink in her hair but not much else was off.

"The witch got away, but not before catching the attention of several demons who would want you three dead. They attacked but Piper and Paige managed to get rid of them," Leo's voice chimed in.

Chris's eyes widened and he spun around to look at the three in the doorway. There was Leo, standing unscathed and clean in the doorway of the room. He smiled over at Chris when he locked gazes with his son. Chris took a deep breath to steady his shocked heart. Phoebe took a deep breath too, a huge smile of love on her voice. Then she spread her arms out wide and wrapped Leo in a hug.

"Oh, Leo!" she exclaimed and sighed out happily. Then she pulled away and took another deep breath.

"Uh… Phoebs? Are you feeling alright?" Piper asked. Leo was slightly stunned but he was still smiling.

"Oh, I feel like bursting with relief and happiness!" Phoebe explained and hugged Piper too. Piper side glanced at Chris. The young boy blushed and hid his face. Oh, how cute.

"Hey, Leo?" Piper called to her husband while Phoebe continued to love on her. "Could you go sit on the couch?"

Leo gave Piper a confused look and glanced at the couch and Chris. Now Chris was turning to try and hide in the back of the couch. He'd been found out! This was so embarrassing! Leo adopted an understanding and surprised look. Then he put on a calm look as though he hadn't realized anything. He shrugged and sat by Chris.

The nine year old glanced at his father but then hid again. Leo chuckled. Chris peeked out again.

"Gosh," Leo murmured. Chris turned more to get a more… normal view of Leo. Leo smirked and grabbed Chris off the couch. He pulled him into his own lap and began to tickle him. The brunette child began to giggle hysterically and fight back but it was no use. Leo was bigger and stronger.

"Ah!... Daddy stop it!" Chris giggled out. Leo laughed but obeyed, ceasing his attack. The sisters watched with smiles, Phoebe still hanging on Piper. Chris continued to laugh for a minute and then he turned on Leo and attacked him. He hooked onto Leo with his arms around Leo's neck and his legs around Leo's waist, and it looked as though it would take a spell to remove him.

"I got you!" Chris exclaimed happily into Leo's chest. Leo gasped dramatically.

"Oh no! I feel my power draining away!" he played and slid down the couch to a laying position. Chris giggled again and squeezed Leo tightly, which really wasn't too tightly considering he was only nine.

"Daddy," Chris whispered, looking up at his father's face. Without looking down at Chris, with his eyes closed in fact, Leo began to snore. "Daddy, can I tell you a secret?"

Leo stopped snoring and peeked out under his eyelids. Paige had left to get something out of the kitchen but Piper couldn't move because of Phoebe still holding onto her. Chris laid his head on its side against Leo's chest. When he was certain his father was listening, he continued.

"I'm really happy you're home," the little boy admitted. "If it were my birthday, that would be the best present over anything else."

"Oh, little buddy," Leo said as he pushed himself back to a sitting position. "I'll be here for your next birthday, I promise."

"Okay. I believe you this time," Chris said with a big smile. He buried his head into Leo's chest and just snuggled there for what seemed like forever. Leo frowned over at Piper. Wow… he must be a pretty terrible father. 'This time' is what Chris said. Leo pet his son's hair and just thought about how he could have gotten so busy when Chris was little…

Was it even possible he had really not liked Chris? Hadn't Chris once said 'you had time for everyone else… except me'? Was it even possible Leo would purposely avoid his second son? No. No, Leo would never let that happen again. Never.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

"Okay. He finally fell asleep," Leo announced as he walked into the living room.

"He is so adorable," Phoebe sighed, letting herself sink into a chair.

"Yeah… He's really a cute kid," Leo agreed, putting his hands in his pockets.

"… I wonder how long it'll last," Phoebe thought aloud, her voice dismal. She felt all three pairs of eyes focusing on her and shivered. "I just mean, sooner or later we're going to get to the parts where Chris hates Leo and… you know…," she explained, leaving the rest hanging.

"You mean we're going to have to go through hearing about what turned him into the neurotic Whitelighter we met and what drove him to come back in the first place," Paige finished for her. Phoebe nodded.

"I, personally, am not looking forward to it. He's too easy for me to read right now. I mean… I don't want him to go back to me not being able to read him, but he's so emotional right now," the empath complained.

"He's a child. Of course he's emotional," Paige countered. Phoebe nodded.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each submerged in their own thoughts. They were each trying to imagine how long until Chris changed from this happy child to his morose older self. Then, as though just remembering something, Piper sighed. All eyes watched her carefully.

"I'm sort of wondering… when it's going to happen," she said vaguely.

"When what happens, sweetie?" Phoebe asked, leaning closer to her pregnant sister.

"Well… when Chris and dad went out together, Chris revealed some shocking things to him… and one of them is that… sometime in Chris's lifetime… I die," Piper explained. Leo seemed startled, his hands gripping his pockets and his body leaning forward. The other two pressed their lips together.

"Sweetheart, what if it's already passed?" Phoebe asked.

"No. He still looks at me and calls me mom. I'm definitely still alive," Piper pointed out.

"True… well I hope we can skip the more emotional parts of that stage. I'm getting a headache from him being happy. I can't even begin to imagine sad," Phoebe said, holding her head. Piper laughed gently and put a hand on her stomach protectively.

"Oh ow," she complained when the laughter caused Chris to kick her. Leo walked to her and knelt by her chair. "I'm alright," she assured.

"Well no matter what, we need to find that witch," Paige reminded them. "If we're good, we can fix him before he ever reaches that age." This was speculative since they had no idea how long they had till that stage occurred in Chris's 'life'.

The house was filled with silence again as they all tried to think. They could scry for the witch, but then what? They would probably just walk in on another trap. She had some way of knowing when they were coming. Piper absentmindedly rubbed her belly. There was a giggle in the other room and then Piper looked at Leo as though his face would reveal the cause of the noise.

"I got it!" Paige burst into the silence. All eyes snapped to her. "We give her a target and lure her here!" She looked so proud of herself that it took several moments for the others to speak.

"Brilliant, Paige, but what exactly do you expect us to use as a target? She only wants one thing and that's Wyatt," Piper reminded. Paige waved her hands impatiently, then she pointed at Leo.

"Leo, is there a way to fake a Wyatt to lure her out?" she asked. Leo stood up and stammered a bit at being put on the spot like this.

"Uh… well, I'm not sure. Do you want me to go check with the Elders?" he asked, guessing for Paige's thought processes. Paige nodded.

"Yes please. And take Wyatt with you just in case they need him," Paige ordered in a 'hurry hurry' tone of voice.

Leo gave Piper one last look and then walked back into where Chris and Wyatt were. The giggle was Chris had woken up and was playing with Wyatt, but Leo had to interrupt their fun. The girls heard the sound of Leo's orb and let out a collective sigh.

"I wonder if this will even work," Piper murmured. "Would she really come after a fake?"

"We'll never know until we try!" Paige replied optimistically.

All of a sudden, Phoebe held her head tightly and bent forward over her knees. She let out a hiss of pain and a loud crash was heard in the conservatory. Piper stood up quickly and almost fell back down, but Paige caught her. Her eyes were locked on the other room. What was that noise?

"Chris?"


	5. Hear a Heart Breaking

Chapter Five – Hear a Heart Breaking

When the girls entered the conservatory, all seemed basically normal. The baby crib was still there. The furniture was all correctly placed… but the television Wyatt watched educational programs on was now busted in a corner. Nearby the tv, a chair laid on its side, completely across the room from its table. It had a broken leg but was otherwise intact. Everything was silent, even the television which usually would be sparking.

Chris stood in the center of the room like a statue. Chris's eyes were glaring at his little pile of rubble like it was the embodiment of evil. Then he clenched his fists and they began to shake. Chris closed his eyes and tears leaked from the corners. Then he screamed, loudly and full of anguish. He threw his arms out and began to toss everything he could think of. Windows cracked and one shattered altogether. The sofa slid halfway across the room and the table was against the ceiling before it cracked and crashed to the floor.

Phoebe was on the ground, holding her chest and trying to keep from balling her eyes out. Chris's pain hurt her so much. Paige wanted to try and save some of the furniture but she couldn't call out words quick enough. Piper reached a hand out to Chris and her other hand held her stomach. Chris had aged again. He was a new teen. His hair was shaggy and hung to his chin. It looked like he hadn't bothered to brush it and yet it was stylish. His face was young but beginning to change with age. Piper could see more of the Chris she knew now in there now.

"Chris!" someone screamed, and Piper recognized the pain-filled voice as Phoebe's. "Chris calm down! Please!"

"No!" Chris screamed and threw something towards her with his eyes closed. Paige quickly deflected it before they could get hurt. "No I wont!"

"Chris! What's wrong?!" Paige called over the sounds of things breaking and crashing.

"It's all his fault! He did this! He-!... Why!? He… He killed her! He killed her and she's never coming back!" Chris cried out in such a way that Piper's heart could almost be heard breaking. She could definitely hear Chris's shattering.

"Chris!" Phoebe rushed forward and grabbed his hands so he couldn't break anything else. She held them tightly despite his attempt to push her away. "Chris, who's dead?" she asked earnestly, tears beginning to escape her eyes.

"No…," Chris mumbled, eyes squeezed shut and tears streaming down his face.

"Chris…," Phoebe urged, releasing one of his hands and stroking the young boy's face. "Please?" Her voice was soft and sad.

Chris opened his eyes and Piper knew it… She knew something then. She never wanted him to cry like this. She'd often thought Chris needed to show more emotions, but this was just too much. The pain in that young boy's eyes was too much for her and she had to look away. Chris sniffled and hiccupped. Then his eyes squinted in an attempt to keep from crying so much he couldn't see who was in front of him.

"M…," he began but had to stop and get more control over himself. "M-mom… Mom!"

Piper turned around in her shock and looked back at the boy. After his screamed answer, he dove into Phoebe's chest and clung to her like she was life itself. Piper held her heart and stomach. Paige held her hand over her mouth as she began to cry. Phoebe held Chris close and pet his hair.

"Mom is… is gone… and she's never coming back… she's never going to… to call Dad home…. And… the cake…," Chris whimpered through his tears and Phoebe's shoulder. "She won't be able to help me blow out the candles! Why did she…. Why did she have to die?!"

Paige gasped and ran from the room. It had become just too much for her. Piper was a step back from where she'd been, but she just couldn't bring herself to leave. A hand touched her arm and then Piper found herself numbly letting Paige pull her away from the scene.

"It's… It's okay, baby," Phoebe promised. "It's going to be okay."

"Why does he hate me, Aunt Phoebe? I know…. I know this is his fault somehow…. Why…?" but then Chris couldn't speak anymore. He opened his mouth to let out a scream of pain but no sound came out. He clenched his fingers around Phoebe's clothing and just cried his heart out.

"I don't know, honey… but we're going to fix this… I promise. One day, we'll make it right," Phoebe promised determinedly through the tears running down her face.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Phoebe laid out on the couch, a cold wet rag over her eyes. She had cried so much, her eyes were red. She didn't want anyone thinking that she was sad so she was trying to lessen the red. Piper was coming down the stairs with the Book of Shadows clutched against her chest. Paige was leaning on the back of the couch, still looking as depressed as before.

No one had said much since Chris's breakdown. As predicted, Phoebe's headache had worsened through Chris's immense pain. Piper had expected the event to occur soon, but it was still shocking to see how he reacted. For several moments after they left the room, the only sound Chris could get out of his throat was the word 'Dad'. He must have repeated the title a hundred times before sleep took him. At first, Piper wondered why Chris wasn't saying 'mom', but it became more apparent to her as the moments passed that Chris wasn't trying to call his mother back from the dead, he was trying to call his father back from wherever he was.

Piper could see it clearly in her mind – the image of Chris in the future, calling out to a father who was busy doing Elder deeds and helping innocents all over the world. Could this be the moment when Chris changed his affections toward Leo? Had Leo come when he'd heard his son balling his name? He hadn't this time, but that was because Leo wouldn't have heard this unfamiliar child's voice calling. But if Chris was right about how Leo acted in the future, would Leo have even recognized Chris's voice then? Either way, if Leo hadn't come… she could see Chris becoming hostile towards him.

Piper took a seat on the couch by Paige and let out a little sigh. Slowly, she began to flip through the pages, though she didn't think she'd find anything useful. They'd already researched the witch.

"You know… I never thought I could hut so badly for a child," Paige's voice was barely loud enough to hear. "I…. I've never seen anyone so broken hearted."

"I know what you mean… It was hard not to envelop him in a hug," Piper murmured back. Phoebe made a sort of growling noise.

"You two have no idea how bad he was feeling. That was only a taste!... ugh… but on that other note… Piper, I think if you had hugged him, he may have died of a heart attack… remember, you just died to him," Phoebe reminded and pulled the rag off her face. She rubbed her eyes on the back of her sleeve.

"Oh… I suppose you're right," Piper admitted. She gave a little shrug and continued to search the book. Paige rolled her eyes and shoved the book shut.

"Give it a rest, Piper. There's nothing in there… and you don't have to act busy just for the sake of looking busy," she said.

There was a blue light and a jingle of bells then. All sisters focused on the center of the room where Leo formed. Before he could even finish forming, Piper was up and next to him. As soon as he was solid, Piper hugged him, being careful of Wyatt in Leo's arms.

"Piper? Are you alright?" Leo asked, moving one arm around his wife. Piper nodded.

"It's just a little taxing to learn about the things that occurred in Chris's life," the oldest witch admitted. Leo cast her a confused but sad look, then he lifted his gaze up to the other sisters.

"What did I miss?" he asked. Phoebe shrugged and Paige tilted her head to the side.

"I'm surprised you didn't hear it all," Paige said. "I know you're not his whitelighter, but Phoebe was completely distressed. Chris was a wreck."

"What?" Leo went slightly white. "What happened?" The elder turned to the conservatory and his eyes widened. Piper released him and stood back, waiting to see his reaction. "What happened?!" Leo repeated when he saw the destruction visible from where he was.

"Chris happened," Piper explained. "He's fourteen now… or he was an hour ago. He went back to sleep after he destroyed the room. Tired himself out."

"But why on Earth would he do that?" Leo asked, looking back at the sisters.

"Um…," but none of them were sure they should answer. Leo shook his head and walked into the conservatory. Piper tried to grab him back he'd moved too fast and she was overcome with a wave of dizziness. Paige and Phoebe both jumped up to help her and then Phoebe looked toward the conservatory, wondering what was about to happen.

Leo knelt by the sleeping boy and noticed the upset frown on Chris's face. Chris looked more like the one they knew now… the way he slept but didn't look peaceful. Well, Chris had looked peaceful for the last month or so, but not before that and definitely not now.

"Hey… hey, Chris wake up," Leo called to the slumbering boy, shaking him gently. Chris opened his eyes slowly and made a cute 'waking up' noise.

His eyes locked on Leo's face and for a moment he seemed to be dazed by both sleep and who was in front of him. Then the baby in Leo's arms wiggled and Chris's eyes were drawn to it. Suddenly his face contorted into extreme displeasure. He pushed himself up off the couch and grabbed the child. Then he flung his arm out and threw Leo across the room. Chris stood and glared at the baby.

In a very angry manner, Chris walked to the crib and sat the baby down in it. Then he turned on Leo who was just getting up off the floor by the broken table. Paige ran up to the doorway, having seen Leo go flying. Piper was being sat on the couch with Phoebe there so that Phoebe wouldn't have to be so close to Chris.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Chris asked, arms tense at his sides.

"Chris… What on Earth -," Leo began but Chris started yelling to cut him off.

"You can't just go off saving innocents for three months and then think you can come back! You can't just act like nothing's happened! How dare you..! How can you come see me… three whole MONTHS late and bring someone else's… someone else's _baby_!" he screamed, pointing back at the crib. "You're too much!"

Paige's eyes widened. Chris was starting to orb. She called out his name and tried to run for him, but he was gone before she could get him. Paige cursed under her breath.

"… Phoebe!" she called and ran out of the room. "Chris orbed away! We have to find him!"

"Right! I'll go get the crystals for scrying. You stay here with Piper," Phoebe replied, dashing off upstairs. Paige pat Piper on the shoulder and sat by her. Leo strolled up with a bit of a limp and stood in front of them.

"Does anyone have an idea what happened that I was three months late for?" he asked, knowing full well that they did. Paige bit her lower lip. Piper sighed.

"Chris destroyed the room because, in his mind, I'm dead," she explained.

This caught Leo off-guard. Paige noted his reactions were very similar to when he learned Chris was his son. He seemed to have the air knocked out of him and couldn't speak his question past the 'wha' part. Then Leo sort of slumped into a chair and held his head. This also reminded Paige of when Leo found out about Chris's heritage.

"Leo, it's alright. There's nothing you can do about it," Paige tried to comfort him. Leo ran his hands over his head and then down his face. Then he sighed.

"But I have to. I don't want to spend the next… day of his life hearing him hate me!" Leo argued, looking at Paige as though this should be obvious and she should be on his side.

"Leo," Piper spoke up. "All we can do is bring Chris home."

"You're right… then maybe I can clear this whole thing up," Leo thought aloud.

"How, Leo? You have no idea what you've done in his memory. You can't fix it when you don't know how it broke," Paige pointed out.

"I'll tell him I'm not the dad he thinks I am. I'll tell him he's under a spell. I'll tell him everything."

Before Paige could argue against Leo's crazy ideas, Piper stood up and shook her head slowly, her eyes shut. Phoebe could be heard clambering down the stairs with her finds from the attic.

"You can't, Leo," Piper said. "For him, it won't matter. Within the hour, he'll be months away from whenever in his life you told him all of that. And it could completely mess with time. Chris just lost me… let's not confuse him any more than we have to."

"I got the crystals. Let's do this," Phoebe announced as she hit the bottom floor, unaware she had missed anything. Piper nodded and went with her into the kitchen to set the map down.

"What do we use to scry?" Piper asked and Phoebe began to dangle the jewel above the map. Phoebe smirked and placed her hand on Piper's stomach.

"We use him to find him," she replied with a bright smile. Then she looked to the map. It only took one pass over the map for the crystal to snap down on a location. Phoebe and Piper squinted at it, unsure if it was plausible. Leo and Paige strolled over after a minute, in which Phoebe scryed again and got the same answer. Leo looked over their shoulders and his expression went slightly shocked.

"So… who's going?" he asked.


	6. To Scratch A Witch

Chapter Six – To Scratch a Witch

The winds above the city were quick and unforgiving. They whipped about and tugged at anything that moved. Leo appeared here, up against the side. He may be invisible, but he was not immune to the weather. It would rain soon, he could feel it. However, Leo was not up here to sense the weather. He closed his eyes and thought of a house on the edge of the city, by a cute market street and in a sweet neighborhood of respectable, non-magical people.

Phoebe was there, in front of its doors, bouncing from one foot to the other as she waited. Then the door opened and an older man with dark gray hair stepped out onto the steps.

"Phoebe? Well it's good to see you!" he greeted with a grin, closing the door behind himself. Phoebe gave a soft smile and hugged him.

"It's good to see you too dad… um…," she began, trying to think of the best way to ask your father if he'd seen his own grandson… who currently looked nothing like the twenty-two year old version he'd seen not three weeks ago.

"You're here because of the little teenager crashing on my sofa, aren't you?" he asked with a returning small smile. Phoebe's smile broke into a relieved expression.

"So he's here? Oh thank god," Phoebe sighed. Her father laughed and opened the door.

"He was when I opened the door," he explained and led her into the living room. There was Chris, laying out on a nice brown sofa, staring at a television set and not really watching it. It was some show about bears.

Slowly, Phoebe inched over to Chris and took a seat beside him.

"Hey, Aunt Phoebe...," the teenager murmured, not looking at her.

"Hey, Chris. Whatcha doin?" Phoebe asked. In the corner of her eye, she saw her father shift but not look too shocked at the name of the child.

"Watching TV," Chris replied lazily.

"You mean you're not hiding from your father?" the empath asked. She felt Chris's emotions begin to lock up. "I won't tell him where to find you, Chris. Don't worry." And Chris relaxed ever so slightly.

"Who cares if he knows?" Chris lied, acting tough. "I don't care what happens to him."

"Well, in that case… You should know…," Phoebe began dramatically, frowning and fiddling with her fingers. Chris sat up a bit and looked at her.

"What?" he asked. Phoebe glanced up at him and then shrugged.

"Well, since you don't care… I guess it's best not to worry you," she said. Chris grabbed her wrist to stop her fidgeting.

"No, tell me! I mean… please?" he asked, looking up at her with those adorable eyes.

"Leo's been attacked by a darklighter," Phoebe revealed. Chris's eyes went wide and he sat up entirely.

"What?!" he exclaimed, worry etched into his voice and face. Phoebe fought back a smile.

"I thought you didn't care," she reminded. Chris slowly switched from worry to disgruntlement.

"You lied to me!" he whined. "Aunt Phoebe!"

Phoebe smiled and ruffled his hair. Then she pulled him into a hug, which he pretended he didn't want.

"I'm sorry. Seemed like a good ice breaker. But seriously… you shouldn't say you don't care about someone… especially your father. I mean, I never hated my father," she said.

"But that's cause grandpa's awesome," Chris countered, as though this changed the point.

"Yeah, but he wasn't always awesome," Phoebe hinted suggestively. "But that's in the past, because me and your aunt and your mom forgave him a long time ago, before you were even thought of."

Chris frowned. "Are you… trying to tell me to forgive dad for… doing his job?"

"I suppose I am… but you know he loves you, right?" Phoebe asked, giving him a tight squeeze around his shoulders. Chris sighed but nodded.

"I guess so… I just sorta wish he'd tell _me_ that," Chris murmured, finally leaning into his aunt.

-- -- -- -- --

Wyatt stood in the conservatory, all alone. He looked around the room and put his fingers in his mouth. In kitchen, an empty pot sat on the counter, waiting to be used for potions. Everything was clean and orderly despite the way the most wanted child alive was wandering free of his playpen.

"Are you sure this will work?" Piper's voice asked.

"No… but it was a good idea. Now we just have to hope it works," Leo murmured back.

The door to the basement was opened a crack and an eyeball appeared, looking over at Wyatt.

"Wow, Leo… That looks just like Wyatt. It's shocking. I almost want to go grab him before it's too late," Paige complimented. "Good work."

"Uh… Thanks," Leo replied unsurely. They were all huddled at the top of the basement stairs, waiting.

The baby in the conservatory turned around in a circle, wobbling dangerously. Then a green smoky substance entered the room in front of him and took form. The witch looked around suspiciously. When she saw no one, she smiled.

"Don't feel bad, child," she said to Wyatt. "I guess giving them the other babe distracted them from you, but I'm sure they still love you… But don't worry. I won't let you be alone anymore. Come," she cooed, bending down to pick him up.

Piper flicked her fingers and froze the scene, baby and all. Then Paige made a 'yeah!' movement with her arms and put her hand out. She held a crystal in her hand. She murmured 'crystal' and sort of tossed the object. It flew over to the room and sat right at the corner of the doorway. A barrier went up and Piper's freeze cut short.

"What?!" The witch asked in shock, turning around to find her attackers. Piper burst into the kitchen before the others could think about it.

"Alright, you witch! You ready to be vanquished?" she asked, her face becoming angrier the longer she saw the witch in front of her.

"Ha! Go ahead and do it!" she cackled. "Your little whitelighter will be without salvation if you do!"

"Piper!" Paige put an arm in front of her sister. Then she looked at the witch. "Tell us how to reverse the magic."

"Hm… why tell you? I have your precious child in here with me… and your little whitelighter will be dead by tomorrow at noon!" the woman revealed with glee.

"What?!" Piper exclaimed. "Tell me how to stop it or I'll blow off your arms!"

"A trade."

"Huh?" Piper relaxed her stance a little. "Excuse me?"

"The baby Wyatt for the whitelighter," the witch clarified. Piper glared again.

"That's not acceptable," she growled.

"Piper," Leo said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. He gave her a strong look and her face went from mad to sad… and then to reluctance.

"But," she began. Leo tilted his head.

"If it's the only way…," he said.

"We can find another way!" Piper exclaimed. Leo gave her a sad look, as though disappointed in her. Then Piper sighed. "Okay." She turned her gaze back to the witch. "Take him… but I _will_ get him back… now reverse your curse."

The witch lifted Wyatt off the floor into her arms, no shield in the way.

"A pesky witch's spell reversed? Let it be thought he was never even cursed," the woman replied, bowing lightly to them all.

"Do you think that was a spell to stop it?" Paige asked softly.

"Well… it rhymed," Piper replied just as softly. Paige bent down, a bit hesitant at first, and removed the crystal she'd just put in place. The force field dropped and the witch grinned.

"Thank you for your cooperation," she said. "By the way, I do hope you enjoy older men."

Then the witch laughed heartily and vanished before Paige could even think of putting the stone back in place.

"What? What did she mean 'I hope you like older men', huh?" Piper asked, turning to the other two and glancing back into the room.

"…We better go check on Chris," Leo advised, reaching out for their hands.

But before they could go, a blue light jingled into existence in the room. Phoebe appeared and then Chris. However, the blue lights that should turn into Chris wobbled and then collapse onto the floor before he appeared.

"Chris!" Piper exclaimed. What lay before them was a growing form of a boy. He was aging, quickly. The nearly 15 year old that Phoebe had gone to get was now rapidly becoming at least twenty.

"Ah…!" Chris whined, holding his head. Phoebe knelt down by him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Chris?" she asked worriedly. Chris stopped moving for a moment and then he let out a breath. He released his head and pushed himself to his feet.

"Wow. Talk about a killer headache," he murmured.

"Chris, are you alright?" Leo asked. Chris's head snapped up and he looked around. At first it seemed he might start yelling, but then his face turned fearful. He looked young, younger than the age Piper guessed he was becoming.

"Wha-what is this? What's going on?" Chris asked, taking several steps back from the group until he fell back onto the couch.

"Chris, how old are you?" Piper asked, taking a step forward.

"Don't come any closer to me!" Chris cried out. It was hard seeing the man she'd known for over a year and grown to love as a son yell at her like that, but Piper obeyed and stepped back to her original spot.

"We just want to help," Phoebe assured, moving to stand up again. "Just tell us how old you are."

"Okay! But only if you stop moving!" Chris yelled.

"Chris," Leo scolded, walking all the way up to the couch. What age could he be that he was so fearful?

"Ah!" Chris pushed away from Leo and fell off the couch. "Nineteen, alright?! I'm nineteen! God!.. Ow.."

As Chris held his injured head, the others looked at each other. Did they know anything that happened between fourteen and nineteen? Then Chris jumped to his feet and pointed at them all. He seemed to be hyperventilating.

"Wh-why are you all… here? I… I didn't summon you… What is this? Some kind of … spell gone wrong or something?" he stammered, backing up until he nearly tripped over some rubble from his earlier rampage.

He was so frightened. He was starting to sweat and his eyes kept darting back and forth between them all. He looked at Piper then, his face becoming distorted by pain. After that, his eyes rested on Leo and he seemed almost as though he might cry. Then his eyes snapped to Paige and he grew almost agonizingly upset.

"Is this your idea of a joke, Paige?!" he exclaimed. "I don't like it! Make them go away!"

"What on Earth are you blabbering about?" Paige asked, stepping forward. Unlike with the others, Chris did not yell at her or jump back.

"Conjuring look-a-likes of your sisters and brother-in-law is not going to make me happy, understand?! Especially not dad! Seeing them isn't gonna make me stop trying to stop Wyatt! So just… _stop_ it already! I can't take this anymore!" Chris whined, trying to take a step back but unable to.

"Chris, take a second and listen," Piper said, taking her step forward again. Chris flinched but swallowed whatever he had been about to say. "It's not what you think."

Chris looked his mother over, breathing still heavy, as though seeing a ghost. Come to think of it, he probably thought he was. Then Chris's eyes went down to Piper's stomach and they widened. He probably hadn't expected his mother to be pregnant, fake or not. That seemed to sober him a bit and he looked back to her face, taking several deep breaths to try and calm himself.

"You're not where you think you are. You're in the past," Piper explained. "Understand?"

Chris gave a weak nod.

"Good. Now calm down. We might need your help," his mother ordered.

"R-right," Chris agreed, nodding again. He seemed about to take a step forward. Then his eyes scanned the group again and they all watched as they proceeded to roll up into the back of Chris's head.

"Rubble!" Paige called out, shoving the broken item behind Chris out of the way. Then, as Chris fainted, he wouldn't hit it. "Pillows!"

Chris hit the ground but his head did not. He lay there, completely unconscious, for several moments before the sisters moved. Paige turned to Piper with a 'what were you thinking!?' look.

"Well, that went well," she said in an exasperated tone. "Weren't you the one who said we shouldn't overload him?"

"Well, yes," Piper admitted. "But I thought telling him now might calm him down. He's nineteen, plenty old enough to handle it… Besides, he was freaking out. I don't think he even understood what I was saying."

"I'm on Piper's side there... But why on Earth was he so scared of us?" Phoebe asked, walking over and standing by Chris.

"Well…," Leo began, and all eyes turned to him. "Seemed to me that we're all dead."


	7. Planning with the Dead

A/N: I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner. I lost track of time. .

* * *

Chapter Seven – Planning with the Dead

"Dead?!" Phoebe exclaimed. "How... how can we be dead?!"

"Maybe…. Without Piper, we couldn't handle it? You know... The 'power of two'?" Paige guessed. Then she adopted a curious look and looked at Piper. "Hey, maybe that's what Bianca was talking about when she threatened to kill you."

"Knowing what we know now, we know she never would have finished the job…," Piper murmured. "But we have to figure out how we're going to talk to Chris when he wakes up… and how we're gonna stop the aging spell. That witch obviously lied to us."

"What? You took her on without me?" Phoebe asked, putting a hand to her chest.

"Well we were antsy," Paige said, shrugging. "So we put the little Wyatt baby out there and caught her. She said she released Chris from her spell and then she left."

"Except that she didn't release Chris because he's still aging… and rapidly," Piper finished, pointing over to her son.

"I say we start working on our own spell," Phoebe suggested. "And we should check the book and see if it says anything about ending a witch's curse."

"I'll get it," Leo said, turning and orbing to the attic.

Chris groaned as the sound left the room. It seemed he still had a way of reacting to the sound of orbs. Paige lightly pushed the other two toward the exit.

"Get out. I'll talk to him. If you two are dead, it's not going to help," she said before they could ask. They gave her disgruntled looks but did as they were told. They stayed just out of sight.

Paige knelt by Chris and waited. He took another whole minute of stirring to finally open his eyes. His hand reached up to hold his head and he groggily looked up at his aunt. Then he gasped and pushed himself up on his elbows. He scanned the room quickly, his heart rate rising. Then he took a deep breath and let himself fall back onto the pillows.

"I had the craziest dream, Aunt Paige," he murmured. He closed his eyes and held his head again.

"Oh yeah?" Paige asked, playing along. "What happened?"

"I woke up and everyone was here... Aunt Phoebe was there, you were there… Mom was there… but she was pregnant and didn't look a day over forty. None of you did… and…," Chris trailed off, leaving his 'dream' incomplete. Paige sat completely on the floor.

"And?" she urged. Chris sighed.

"Dad was there… and he looked so young… and he looked at me with worried eyes like he's never looked at me before. It was almost like… like he was… like he cared, ya know? I mean, I know he cares, but he's never cared so openly to my face in real life… and you all looked so good standing together… but I was frightened. Even in a dream, I couldn't handle seeing them all at once… especially not dad… it's been such a short time since he… since he left," Chris murmured, turning his head away despite his eyes still being closed. He was savoring the memory of his dream. "It's only been a week…"

"Chris…, I know this may sound weird to you right now… but I need your help to find a witch," Paige said. Chris snorted.

"Good luck. Witches don't come out in the open anymore," he said, continuing to keep his face turned from her.

"Exactly… so I need your help. I can't do it on my own," Paige explained, adding a hint of sadness to her voice. Chris looked up at her and then pushed himself to a sitting position.

"Alright," he agreed, pushing himself to a standing position. "What do you know so far about this witch?" and Chris actually seemed excited to help. That was the spark they knew in their Chris, always looking to catch a demon or stop an evil creature of some sort. This was the same determination. It was good to see it in there.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

"So you think this spell will work?" Piper asked, gazing over Phoebe's shoulder.

"Yes… that or get him stuck at whatever age he's at when we read it… but I'm almost positive it'll just reverse the magic," Phoebe replied to Piper's discomfort. "Look, we'll just keep changing it until it's perfect, alright?"

"Right," Piper grunted and took a seat in the rocking chair. She rocked back and forth a few times, eyes closed. Then, all of a sudden, she stopped and looked at Leo. "Where's Wyatt?"

"I left him... with the elders, why?" he asked, motioning above his head.

"I was just checking. The double looked so much like him," the mother explained, starting to rock again.

They could hear Chris and Paige talking animatedly downstairs, but they were confined to the attic. Chris didn't seem able to handle seeing them all when they were apparently dead. Piper felt rather useless sitting up in the attic and doing nothing. Phoebe was writing the potential spell, Paige was working with Chris, and she… she was sitting in a rocking chair like an old grandmother.

There was a tapping of shoes on the stairs and then the creaking of floor boards accompanying the sound of footsteps. The three 'dead' people stared at the door. Should they hide? No. Paige would have warned them if he was coming, wouldn't she?

"Hey," Paige kept her voice low as she came into the attic. "So our sweet nineteen year old says he knows where the witch probably lives and has a plan of action... of course this is assuming the witch hangs out in the same place witches hang out in the future, but I told him I was coming to get the book for him to buy some time."

"Good thinking," Leo said. "You'll need your sisters to beat the witch but we have to keep a low profile around Chris."

"God, I wish he would just age another three years so we wouldn't have to hide anymore," Phoebe complained as she scanned her spell.

Then a jingle of blue bells entered the attic beside Paige. Before anyone had a chance to run and hide, Chris was standing there. He didn't smile like he had in the conservatory. Instead, he looked mildly put-off. He glanced at them all and then made a vague pointing motion.

"Anyone care to explain how I went from standing in the attic to sitting in the living room?" he asked. "And what happened to Wyatt?"

"Chris? How old are you?" Piper asked hesitantly, standing. Chris gave her a questioning look.

"Twenty-two, Mom. You already knew that," he said, looking concerned for his mother's mental health. "Do we have time for this? What happened to the witch?"

"Oh thank god!" Phoebe exclaimed in relief, moving over to hug Chris. "You're back to normal!"

"The witch left, but not before she put a spell on you to make you age. About seven hours ago, you were two years old, and you've been steadily aging ever since," Leo explained. Chris gave him a thankful look for his explanation and tried to pry his aunt off his neck. Then he became confused again.

"Aging? How come I don't remember any of this?" he asked, finally getting Phoebe off him. She was no longer effected by his emotions or she'd know he was feeling disgruntled with her right now.

"It's a hard story, Chris… but in essence, you only had the memories you would've had at each age. It was hard on us. We've been trying to play along with it all and then there was the time two hours ago in which you ran away to your grandfather's house and when you tore apart the kitchen and when you threw Leo across the room and then there were the moments when you were so adorably young and you had a tickle fight with Leo!" Paige explained, becoming giddy with memories toward the end. Piper tried to tell her to shut up before she got started, but it hadn't worked.

"I… tore apart the kitchen?" Chris asked in shock.

"Well, technically it was the conservatory," Phoebe interjected. Piper held her head. They should NOT be bringing this up. Chris looked contemplative for a moment and then his face became rapidly downcast. He looked toward the floor.

"O-oh… I see. Sorry about that… I'll clean it up later," he mumbled a reply. He knew what they had seen. Piper could see it written all over his face. "So what happened to the witch?" Chris asked to cleverly change subjects.

"Still on the run, but don't worry. We're hunting her down and writing a reversal spell as we speak," Phoebe explained, going back to her work. Piper glanced out the window at the dark sky and then to her watch.

"And we have to hurry. The witch gave us another… seventeen hours to fix this," she warned.

Chris just stood there, looking lost.

-- -- -- -- -- -- --

Another hour later, Paige was sleeping on the old couch upstairs, Leo had gone and gotten Wyatt so Piper could hold him. Now Leo was leaning against a wall looking like he may die of fatigue, if he could die at all. Piper was playing with her son and Phoebe was angrily scribbling out bad lines of text. Chris knelt by the rocking chair and looked between his mom and brother.

Chris used to be searching the Book of Shadows, but had grown tired of it. After seeing random witches; like Inundane the fickle, Esther the stupidly named, and Lord Callaway – the man whose only fault was him trying to make the world into one giant castle for him to rule over; Chris had grown so disappointed and upset with the book that he'd nearly thrown it across the room. Now he contented himself to watching his mother and brother. It was sort of calming.

"So," Piper began. "When did Leo die?"

Chris was stunned by the question, but he did not instantly come back with his usual 'changing the future' excuse. Instead, he frowned and cast his eyes down to his hands.

"A month or so after I turned nineteen. All the elders, save for three, were slaughtered. Wyatt got the remaining three to join forces with him under the promise that they would be kept safe," he murmured. Piper was the only one who could hear and understand him. Wyatt paid him no mind.

Piper frowned. "And Phoebe?" she asked softly. Chris turned his head away and smiled sourly.

"Mom, you know I can't tell you all of this," Chris scolded, though it sounded more like he was scolding himself and not his mother. Piper frowned and pet his hair. Chris closed his eyes and sighed contently.

"I know. But it didn't hurt to try," she said. Chris snickered and Piper smiled.

The last time she'd heard him laugh at all was when he was only nine before her eyes. After that… well it almost seemed like Chris couldn't laugh. Sure, they'd all seen him laugh during his time with them, but in the last eight hours, Piper had missed it. It seemed like an entire lifetime had passed since she'd last heard him laugh.

"Leo was an elder in your time too?" Piper asked softly. Chris nodded.

"It took longer originally, but he did. It was always his fate, I guess. I just sped it up this time," Chris replied sadly. He glanced at his mother's stomach and a small smile graced his lips. Piper smiled too and pet his hair again.

"Don't worry about anything, Chris," she said. "We'll make sure you're okay and then we'll all save the future together." Chris nodded but then sort of backed off from her hand so he could look up at her.

"So why are we still trying to reverse the spell? I'm back to normal," Chris pointed out, motioning to his body. Piper opened her mouth to explain that they weren't sure it was going to stop yet when her point was proven.

Chris closed his eyes and groaned as his hair got longer and he aged about ten years. When it finished, Chris stood and quickly moved to the long mirror. When he gasped, both Leo and Phoebe came to attention. Paige was beyond help.

"Mom," Chris began and Leo jumped to his side. Chris sounded so worried while still trying to hold on to his control. "Mom, we have to stop this now."

"Don't worry, Chris. We will. We're not going to let anything happen to you," Leo promised before Piper could even take the breath needed to answer. Wyatt cooed on her lap to regain her attention and Piper gasped, standing with her baby.

"The witch. We have to bring her back and vanquish her. I don't care what she says. She'll never release Chris of her own free will, so we'll try killing her to reverse the curse," she said. "She obviously hasn't realized the Wyatt we gave her is a fake, so I don't know how to lure her here, but –," and she was interrupted.

"I know a few places we could check out," Chris said, reminding them of when his nineteen year old self had been trying to help.

"Alright. After the spell is done, we'll head over," Piper decided. Chris shook his head at the same time as Leo.

"No. You need to rest," they said at the same time. They exchanged a shocked but approving stare. Then Chris nodded and continued. "Right. We all need to sleep. If we're going to stop this witch, we'll need you all fully charged and awake."

"Now we sound like batteries," Phoebe teased before yawning. It was contagious because Chris and Piper yawned directly after her. Chris covered his mouth like it was something to be ashamed of.

"Ok then… off to bed. Look, even Wyatt's sleeping," Leo pointed out.

He walked over and lifted the slumbering baby out of his wife's arms. Piper sighed but nodded. Chris just watched, frowning, as Leo began to lead her toward the door. About the time they reached the door, however, Leo stopped and turned around. He looked Chris over once, but Chris was now trying to hide his previous frown. Leo smiled encouragingly.

"You coming?" he asked. Chris couldn't help it. He beamed.

"Y-yeah," he replied and nearly hopped over. Together, as a family, they went down the stairs to fall asleep in the same room… one big happy family – as Chris had never experienced before.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The wind howls. Bodies turn to dust. Hair turns to silver. Love turns to legend. Things of the past are forgotten in time. People are forgotten. Memories fail everybody sooner or later.

Chris stood in the center of a cobblestone path, staring around at his dismal surroundings. He was in a graveyard. The world was dark like dusk though it could have been midday. Chris knew this graveyard. He walked left through the endless tombstones. They seemed to go on forever.

Finally, he stopped. There was a low gate surrounding four particular graves with room for more. The stones read the names of Chris's two aunts, his beloved mother, and his courageous father. Chris put his hands on the iron fence and felt himself beginning to shake. Why was he even here?

"Chris."

The voice sounded distant and yet close. It was familiar. Chris turned toward the sound. Piper stood behind him, a young child sitting on her hip. The child was blonde and appeared about nine. Piper let the boy slip down to stand on his own two feet.

"Chris," this voice belonged to his father, Leo. The elder appeared beside Piper, walking out of a light as bright as the sun. It vanished when Leo was out.

"Mom…? Dad…?" Chris asked in stunned awe.

"Chris," now Phoebe and Paige appeared, walking out of nothing but air. The five people smiled at him before all of their faces turned sour. There was a sound buzzing in Chris's ear that he couldn't place, and there was the ticking of a grandfather clock.

"Who's Chris?" the little blonde boy asked, squinting ahead past the fully grown man in front of them all.

"You know… I don't really remember… but I do remember he was loved," Phoebe replied softly, kneeling down by the young Wyatt. What? Chris narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"He was family. What more do we need to know?" Leo asked, smiling down at his first son. What were they talking about?! What was with all the past tense?

Chris gasped and turned around to look back at the graves… but they had vanished. In their stead, one lone grave stood. It read Christopher Perry Halliwell. The buzzing in Chris's ear grew louder.

"No…," Chris murmured. "No I'm not dead!" he screamed.

He knew the sound in his ears now. It was sand… It was the sound of sand rushing down into a pile – like the sands of an hour glass. Knowing the sound made his skin feel like it was crawling for some reason, and he looked down at his hands. He gasped, eyes widening. His skin-! He was turning white and dissolving into sand! Chris spun around to face his family, but they were already far away, walking away and disappearing into a foggy distance. Chris tried to run after them, to beg them for help, but it seemed his legs were already gone and he fell.

'No, no, no, no, NO!' he shouted in his mind. He didn't want to die like this!

And then he woke up screaming.


	8. When Voices Sound

Chapter Eight – When Voices Sound

"Chris!" Piper called out as she woke from her dreams. She sat up straight only to realize the screaming man wasn't from her dreams. He really was in the room and screaming.

Chris was sitting in the chair by Wyatt's crib, crying out and tugging at his clothes. He was running his hands down his arms like there was something there that needed to be ripped off before it was too late. Leo was there by his side in an instant. Piper hurried over and grabbed Wyatt, who was crying as well.

"It's okay, baby," Piper cooed, trying to calm down the baby while Leo tried to calm down the man.

"Chris! Chris look at me!" Leo ordered, lifting Chris's face with his hands and holding him there. Chris's eyes ripped up from his hands on his arms and locked with his father's. Chris's eyes were wet but not tearing.

"Dad… Dad, the sand…," Chris murmured, making no sense to them.

"Chris, it's okay," Leo assured him with his strong voice. Wyatt was calming down slowly now that the screaming had stopped. "It was just a dream, just a dream. Do you hear me?"

"A… a dream," Chris murmured back numbly, similar to when he'd agreed with Piper before passing out in the conservatory.

"Yes, a dream. You're alright," Leo said in the best 'loving father' voice, because that's really what he was.

Chris took several deep breaths and then looked down at his hands and what was visible of his arms through his clothes. Seeing his skin intact seemed to calm him down a bit, but not entirely. Even Leo noticed the way Chris's skin looked like it had lost some color and he had some wrinkles around his knuckles and joints.

"Age estimate?" Chris asked, his voice back in control. He sounded more like he was asking for the report on a demon's statistics and not on his possibly closer to death age.

Leo looked him over while Piper set Wyatt back into his bed. Then the mother cast worried eyes over her son and frowned.

"Early forties," Piper answered, standing up straight. The door burst open and Paige stood there. Beyond her shoulder you could barely see Phoebe.

"What happened? What's going on? Why was someone screaming?" Paige asked quickly. Chris looked away in shame.

"It's alright. No one's hurt. Chris just had a nightmare," Leo assured them. Phoebe adopted a look that screamed 'oh that is so cute!' and Chris wished she would get depressed instead. That look was embarrassing for him. Paige seemed confused and then shocked.

"Oh my gosh, Chris!" she exclaimed, and Chris was about to bite her head off about baby-ing him, but she looked too upset for him to get any words out. "Look at you!"

Chris looked around as though that would help him see his own face. Apparently his face was suffering the same breakdown as the rest of his body. Smile lines or frown lines or… whatever he might have were more defined and he was visibly older while still being heartbreakingly good looking.

"I know, Paige," Chris grumbled. "I'm forty!" he exclaimed and stood up. "Did you ever finish that spell?"

Phoebe jumped and hurried forward, hand out with her paper ready for Chris to inspect. After a quick once-over, Chris nodded. Then he frowned.

"No offense, Phoebe, but it sounds like you're trying to make me more child-like in the process," he pointed out. Phoebe blushed.

"Well, I don't know… It rhymed and you were kinda cute when you were a kid," she admitted. Chris gave her a scolding look.

"Please focus, Phoebe. I don't want to de-age in maturity because of this anymore than I want to die of old age because of the witch," Chris stated forcefully, like the whole thing was an order and not just the first part. Phoebe looked teasingly taken aback as she snatched her spell away from him.

"Have you always been so rude to your elders?" she asked and then winked to show she was kidding. With that, Phoebe strolled past Paige and out of the room to research a better way to write her spell now that it had been rejected. Chris glanced around at the other three only to find them all staring at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Chris sat in the kitchen, staring at his hands. He'd been down here since dawn while the girls worked tirelessly in the attic. Leo alternated between paying attention to Wyatt and advising the girls. So far, Chris had been left alone… which he appreciated. He needed the time to think. He was getting older, by now he was an estimated sixty, and the girls were debating a lot… mostly they were trying to figure out how to lure the witch back. Chris wondered if he could ever go back to twenty-two. He didn't want to die of old age right now, but did he have a choice? Should he write will? No. He had nothing to leave behind… well nothing material.

Chris didn't want to leave his family, which now knew about him and loved him. He didn't want to leave Wyatt, who he desperately wanted to save. He didn't want to leave life, he felt like he had so much more to do in this life still… so many more people to help. He could almost hear them.

"Hey, Chris, how's my kid doing?" Leo asked as he walked over out of the living room.

"Dad, have you ever heard voices in your head… and I don't mean the elders or when charges call you," Chris asked, completely ignoring the posed question. Leo frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Chris turned his hands over to look at his palms.

"I mean… I get the feeling that I'm hearing voices, but it's more like a buzz of sound. I think it's a bunch of voices all at once but with the volume turned down. Some of them are just talking. Most of them are crying… a few are screaming," Chris admitted, hoping he didn't sound crazy because he felt entirely sane.

Leo sighed and pulled out a chair. He slipped down to sit by his son, who was now physically older than him. He put a hand on Chris's aged one to get the other to look up at him.

"Yes. That happened to me twice," Leo admitted.

"When?" Chris asked, leaning forward towards his father. Leo frowned.

"When the Elders died… when you arrived. I heard hundreds of innocents that had not yet come to need help. It was like hearing how many people were going to die or go un-heeded because of the deaths of the Elders," Leo explained. He removed his hand from Chris's and set it on the table.

"The other happened before I met your mother. I had just died for the first time. As I was brought up to be a whitelighter, I heard hundreds, no millions of voices. They were all pleasant voices for the most part. I remember one clearly. There was only one voice, a little louder than the rest, which was crying out my name. Looking back, I think it was Piper's voice… that time, all the voices were the voices of those I would help in the future. When the Elders died, it was all the voices of those who wouldn't be helped," he finished, looking straight into his son's eyes.

"Well… I hope mine is all the voices I _will_ help," Chris murmured. "I'd hate to think of this as my last day."

"It won't be, Chris. I won't let it happen," Leo promised, putting his hand on Chris's shoulder.

A string of electricity zapped Leo's hand and made him rip his hand back in shock and pain. Then Leo was thrown across the room, through the doorway and back into the living room by a bolt of lightning similar to the ones he used himself.

Chris spun around to see where the electricity had come from. No. He already knew. Standing in front of him was a woman about twenty years older than Chris's body currently was. She had long, straight salt and pepper hair and a fierce glare on her face.

"Hello," Chris greeted, a slight glare fixing itself in place on his face as well. "You're Inundane, I assume." Chris had found her in the Book of Shadows but hadn't been sure if it was the witch they'd wanted. She'd sounded rather lame in the book, but as he looked at her, there was no doubt in his mind that she was the one.

"Well, I suppose the little man isn't as stupid as I thought," the witch sneered. "How do you like being old, whitelighter? Cause you're never going back to being young. How dare you and your pesky witches try and trick me with that fake baby, you… you _witches_!"

"You tricked us. We only thought it fair," Chris replied snobbishly. He'd heard about the fake reversal spell from his mother. "Now be honest, Inundane. If we kill you, will the spell be reversed?"

"You haven't been in this business very long, have you?" Inundane asked like Chris was stupid. "Every qualified spellcaster knows how to remove curses, hexes, and spells."

"So we do just kill you," Chris confirmed looking only mildly interested. This seemed to tick off the witch even more.

Before she could unleash her 'awesome' skills on Chris, however, Leo was up and zapped her with his own electricity. He stood by Chris and just watched as Inundane staggered to her feet. She made a loud thud when she fell, however, and now the girls were at the bottom of the stairs.

"She's the witch Inundane," Chris informed them. Piper nodded and grabbed a piece of paper from Phoebe with a spell written on it. Paige set her same crystal down in the same place she had before, once again trapping the other witch in the conservatory.

"Okay girls, ready?" Piper asked, holding out the spell to vanquish her so the other two could read it too. Chris didn't hear the spell past the first few words. Something like 'We call upon the powers, hear our voices rise'. However, Chris didn't know what the rest was because his head began to pound as his body seemed to make a last ditch effort to age rapidly. It was much more painful this time and he bent over and held his head tightly. He felt like his brain was being held in a vice grip!

'Make it stop!' he screamed in his mind, growling softly on the outside.

Then Chris heard a click, like the sound of a grandfather clock stopping, and he blacked out.


	9. Happily Ever After the Sands of Time

A/N: Final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. Sorry for the delay. I went on a short road trip through four states. Hm… anyway, here it is.

And um… to the anonymous reviewer who said this was their favorite story. –blush- thank you very much. I'm honored.

* * *

Chapter Nine – Happily Ever After the Sands of Time

Piper took a deep breath to calm herself. The witch was nothing more than a mess of dust that needed to be cleaned up. Leo had said something about Chris in the middle of their spell, but they had to finish it before they could check. Now a loud crash made them turn their heads. Chris had fallen out of his chair.

"Chris?!" Piper asked in a worried tone, kneeling by him. She grabbed him and turned him over with Leo's help. "No, no Chris. Don't leave us now," she ordered in a firm tone, as though she were scolding him.

Leo felt Chris's forehead and frowned. Then he put his hands over his son's body and tried to heal the sudden fever.

"What happened to him?" Paige asked. "And shouldn't he be de-aging now? The witch is dead."

"I don't know, Paige," Piper nearly snapped at her. "Just get some water, will you?"

Paige nodded and hurried to the sink. Leo pulled his hands back and shook his head.

"He's not ill. I can't heal him. I guess we just have to wait and see," he said.

Phoebe knelt down by Chris and stroked his forehead. The last time Chris had been ill with no way to save him, Bianca had infected him. She'd been able to sense Chris's emotions at that point. Now, however, she still couldn't read him. If she could… well she didn't know if she wanted to. He could be in great pain, and she wouldn't want to feel that.

"Chris?" Piper asked softly. Paige held out the damp rag for her, and Piper laid it on the future whitelighter's forehead.

The coolness of the rag sent a shiver through Chris's body. That was a good sign. Then a second shiver vibrated the male's body, this time shaking his image and not the body itself. Then, slowly, Chris's body seemed to begin to melt. Piper gasped and pulled her hand away from Chris's.

"Sand…," Leo murmured in shock.

'_Dad, the sand…,_' he could clearly remember Chris's fearful voice from this morning. Had Chris… somehow known? Leo worried his lower lip.

Almost as soon as it had begun, the decomposition of Chris's body into sand stopped. There was a light layer of sand all over Chris, but some grains were slipping off and onto the floor. Leo reached forward hesitantly and brushed the sand from Chris's limp hand. When the sand fell off, a soft, young hand remained. Leo smiled and dusted off Chris's face.

As the sand fell away from Chris, they could see his normal, twenty-two year old features had returned. Relief spreading through them, they got together and lifted Chris up. Sand poured off of him, remnants of ages he was not yet to experience. Leo aimed Chris to sit back in his chair and held him up. The rag on Chris's forehead flopped off, taking mud with it. Phoebe quickly wiped the wet mess off her nephew's forehead.

"Chris?" Piper called. She stroked his cheek and his eyelids stirred but did not open.

"Chris, you're young again," Paige informed him, hoping the glad news would wake him. Still, Chris did nothing.

Phoebe tilted her head and then perked up at an idea. She leaned in to Leo's ear and whispered it. Leo looked disbelieving but nodded to agree. He moved over until Phoebe could take over his job of holding Chris upright. Then, not moving from where he was, Leo orbed. The sound made Chris's hands twitch and his mouth seemed to frown a little. Phoebe motioned toward the young whitelighter, a message for Leo to continue.

"Chris," he called out.

This time, Chris's eyes did part open. He let out a long breath before taking in one just as long. He opened his eyes more and looked around at who he could see. They all let out relieved breaths.

"Chris!" Piper exclaimed breathlessly. "You're okay."

"Am I?" Chris asked in a tired voice. "Cause I sort of feel like crap."

"You're fine," Leo assured.

"Fine?" Paige asked skeptically and Chris looked up at her expectantly. "He's amazing! He's back to his original age!"

"I am?" Chris asked, using his own strength to hold himself up. Phoebe moved around in front of him to watch as he inspected himself. Chris looked over his hands and arms, felt his face, and even lifted his shirt to check his chest. Then he sighed in relief. "Ah… Thank god… I mean, thank you," Chris corrected himself, smiling apologetically at the girls.

"You're welcome," Paige replied. Chris smiled nervously.

"I know I keep getting into a lot of trouble recently… I'm sorry for giving you guys such a hard time," he said. Piper shook her head and drew him into a hug.

"Forget about that. You're family Chris, and no matter how much you get into, we will always love you," his mother assured him, rubbing his back. Chris looked up at Leo through the corner of his eyes.

"I know," he murmured and Leo couldn't help but grin. Chris lowered his eyes back to what he could see of his mother. He seemed a little embarrassed. "I love you guys."

-- -- -- -- --

An hour later, Piper sat in the kitchen with her sisters. They'd swept up the sand that was the remnants of the witch and what had come off Chris, but he'd been lightly drizzling sand all the way up the stairs, so they'd have to clean that up too before someone slipped on it. The sisters were taking a moment to think. They'd almost lost Chris.

"He got cursed for saving me," Piper voiced her thoughts.

"Honey, you can't blame yourself for this," Phoebe countered calmly. She put a hand on Piper's shoulder. Piper shook her head and shrugged Phoebe off.

"No. That's not what I meant. I just think… maybe we should keep Chris off the battlefield for awhile," the mother suggested, lightly dragging her hand across her large stomach. A little kick to her kidney made her flinch.

"So I'm thinking little Chris is agreeing with me on this," Paige said. "Piper, that's crazy. Take Chris off demon hunts? That would be torture for the guy, you know that. Besides, what else does he do with his time? He came back to fight. One or two scrapes don't merit him a punishment. We've all been hurt way more times," she pointed out.

"Okay okay," Piper grumbled. "Point taken."

Phoebe smiled and put her hand back on Piper's shoulder. Leo sort of trotted into the room then. He smiled a little and nodded to them all.

"Okay, Chris is in the shower. Wyatt's in his playpen. The witch is gone and the book is safe. Am I forgetting anything?" he asked, clapping his hands together.

"Look at you. You're like Mr. Mom – got your list and everything," Paige teased. Phoebe laughed.

"No. I think that's all," the middle sister answered. "How is Chris anyway?"

"He seemed fine when he got in the bathroom. I think he just wants some alone time to relax. Plus he still has some sand on him- you know, as though he just got back from a beach," the elder explained. He looked at Piper. "And how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Piper assured him. "Although, I was thinking of baking Chris some cookies if anyone wants to help."

"Oh! Me! Me!" Phoebe exclaimed in excitement. She helped pull Piper to her feet and then went to grab a bowl for them to make the mix in.

"I thought Phoebe already made cookies," Leo reminded them. Paige shrugged.

"Little Chris ate some and then 19 year old Chris nearly swallowed them whole. He never even asked me who made them. I mean, he should know I'm no wiz in the kitchen, but he just ate them up," the youngest witch explained.

Leo smiled and Paige laughed lightly. They decided these cookies should be a group effort then and walked to the counter to help where they could.

Upstairs, Chris let the steaming water pour on his skin. It was a bit too hot, but he didn't care. He could feel the skin-turned-sand falling off of him and the longer he stood here, the more he felt like he was returning to normal. It felt like such a long time since he'd been normal.

The heat from the water forced his muscles to release their tension and made some aches just drain away. Chris suspected these pains came from his body changing so rapidly. The time-traveler let out a sigh and then took a deep breath. He put his head under the rain of hot water and put his hands on the wall. He felt better already.

Chris saw a rush of memories in his head of his mom and had a distinct memory from when he was nineteen. Paige had said it was a dream, but the vision was so clear that Chris now knew it was real. And now knowing that he had rushed through his life just now, he was even more sure of the 'dream's' validity. His mom and everyone standing in the conservatory, his dad looking at him with those concerned eyes, it had all been real. Chris smiled.

When he felt he'd been scorching himself long enough, Chris turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. The towel felt softer on his skin than usual, but it was probably because of how hot his skin was. The floor of the shower showed remnants of sand and Chris turned on the faucet to push the last bits down the drain. Then he grabbed another towel and dried his hair.

Chris dragged his hand across the mirror to clear it and then took longer than usual to comb his hair into the style he wanted. Usually he just gave it a quick brush and left it, but today was different. Today he admired his own face and really appreciated how young he looked. Today he really wanted to see which way he normally wore his hair would best accentuate his young features – well… as best as he could. He wasn't an expert on these matters.

Then Chris looked over and saw some clothes Leo had gotten for him. Chris smiled again. Thinking of Leo made him feel ironically happy. Until he'd come back in time, Chris had held such a grudge against Leo. There had been the anger at how Leo had ignored him, the disappointment, and the depression. There had been a fear for Leo's life as he fought against Wyatt's demons, which had been twisted by all of Chris's swirling emotions for his father and thrown back in Leo's face as Leo not caring what happened to himself or others… in a very angry way. Then Leo's death… and Chris had felt such anger, not at Leo but at himself. How could he have not done anything to help? How had he been so useless? But now it was all in the past.

Chris chuckled to himself at how stupidly happy seeing those clothes made him. There must have been something in the shower's water. Chris hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

After he got dressed, Chris fixed some out of place hairs on his head and stepped out of the bathroom. A little steam escaped into the hall, but most had already dissipated. Chris took a deep breath. Something smelled delicious. Chris beamed this time. That was the smell of his mother's cookies!

Chris hurried down the stairs and jumped the last few steps. He felt like he could do cartwheels. Chris slid into the kitchen and nearly ran into Piper, but smoothly avoided her and just wrapped his arms around her. He smiled and gave her a hug.

"Wow, someone's in a good mood," his mother laughed. They'd thought he'd be slightly depressed when he came out. He was already rather neurotic, so they thought the near-death incident would make it worse for a while, but this was a happy alternative.

"I love you so much, Mom," Chris murmured into her cheek. Piper nearly blushed.

"Hey, slugger!" Paige cheered to catch Chris's attention. The tall male released his mom and turned to look at everyone else in the room. "Look! We're making cookies!"

"I know," Chris replied. "Are they for me?"

Leo and Phoebe exchanged a look. The smile on Chris's face and the tone in his voice gave them flashbacks to his younger form's innocence.

"No. They're for the seven dwarves," Paige explained. "I never did thank them for putting my eternally slumbering body into that preservation coffin."

"Oh Paige!" Phoebe scolded with a grin on her face and lightly smacked her sister's arm. Chris laughed and turned around. Piper was right there. Chris's smile faltered a little.

"Um, Mom," he began, his voice getting soft so only Piper would hear. "Were you the one I told about Excalibur?" he asked.

"Hm? Yeah, but how did you know? I thought I acted really well," Piper replied, slightly shocked he'd apparently noticed.

"No," Chris shook his head, "I mean, you did act really well… but… I was wondering what you thought about it now."

Piper smiled warmly. She looked over at Wyatt in his play pen and then up at her fully grown son. She put her hand on his shoulder and the other lay lightly against Chris's cheek. She locked her eyes with his and tilted her head slightly to the left.

"Chris, whether you're the true wielder or Wyatt… or hell, even both, you will always be my little King Arthur. I promise," she murmured sweetly, still keeping this conversation between them only. Chris smiled.

"Thank you."


End file.
